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Deep Purple
The
band's original 60s line-up featured vocalist Rod Evans (evident
on early tracks like Hush and Kentucky Woman),
but it was only during the Ian Gillan/David Coverdale eras that
Deep Purple reached the dizzy heights of stadium fame.
Former aircraft radio mechanic Ritchie Blackmore meanwhile
showed all air-guitarists why he is truly the king of riffs, with
his work on Purple's two biggest hits, Smoke On The Water
and Black Night.
Deep Purple In Rock (1970) has been recognised as
the first Hard Rock album ever and is undoubtedly one of those
albums everybody seems to know - if not the music then at least
the cover.
In 1971 the hand of fate took the band to Montreux at the same
time as Frank Zappa's Mothers Of Invention, and their witnessing
of the burning down of the Casino, immortalised in Smoke On
The Water with Blackmore's famous riff, (heard in guitar
shops and garages the world over), and Gillan's simple re-telling
of events, elevated them and their record to legendary status
In September 1973, David Coverdale left his job as a menswear
shop assistant in a small Yorkshire town to join Deep Purple as
vocalist. All over the world, male 6th form students grew their
hair long and got stoned for the very first time to the funereal
organ music of Jon Lord and budding guitarists everywhere tried to
emulate Blackmore in their bedrooms (oo-er missus!)
Ritchie
Blackmore's final Deep Purple gig (captured on their 1975 album, Live
In Paris) features some of the campest metal ever recorded,
with David Coverdale's fruity exhortations to "Come orn!"
screeching over cheesy Hammond organ and the guitar wizard's
inevitably lengthy solos.
Tommy Bolin died of a heroin overdose on 4 December 1976.
Young Ritchie B went on to further fame and fortune with his
solo effort, Rainbow, while the others
went on to enjoy mixed solo success, not to mention The
Butterfly Ball (I said NOT to mention that!).

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| The
Band |
Rod Evans
Vocals
Ritchie Blackmore
Guitar
Jon Lord
Keyboards
Nick Simper
Bass
Ian Paice
Drums
Ian Gillan
Vocals
Roger Glover
Bass
David Coverdale
Vocals
Glenn Hughes
Bass
Tommy Bolin
Guitar
Joe Lynn Turner
Vocals
Joe Satriani
Guitar
Steve Morse
Guitar |
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